British Columbia’s election is four months away, but Premier David Eby staged a campaign event Thursday in Vancouver ahead of what he says is a personal count down — next week’s expected birth of his family’s third child. Eby said he and his wife, Cailey, are expecting a daughter on June 27, so he wanted to make an early start to campaigning for the Oct. 19 election by introducing four New Democrat candidates before taking a break to spend some time with his family.

He said Oct. 19 is B.C.

’s fixed election date and June 27 is his family’s “fixed date baby.” “So, some of you know what that’s a reference to,” said Eby. “So, we’re expecting a beautiful baby girl.

I am taking a bit of time with the family, but these candidates are going to be out there knocking on doors out in the community.” Eby introduced four New Democrat candidates, former broadcaster Randene Neill, Baltej Dhillon, the first RCMP officer to wear a turban on duty, Indigenous leader Michael Moses and Vancouver community support advocate Sunita Dhir. Eby’s early campaign start comes amid open battling between B.

C.’s two right-of-centre parties, Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon’s BC United and John Rustad’s upstart B.C.

Conservatives. Falcon said the party has been stung recently by the loss of caucus members and candidates to Rustad’s Conservatives. But these things happen in politics, he said, citing the NDP’s loss of former elected members Selina Robinson and Adam Walker.

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